Recent News &
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Recent News &
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A day of education, dialogue, and prayer about welcoming transgender people Sunday, November 12, 2017 1:00 pm - 4:30 pm St. Pius X Faith Community 2506 Wauwatosa Avenue Wauwatosa Wisconsin 53213 The goal of the day is to reflect on how we as Catholics can respond pastorally to transgender people. The day includes information on gender identity and development, pastoral outreach, and spiritual dimensions. No prior knowledge is needed. There will be Q & A sessions, small group discussions, and informational handouts. The day is designed for church ministers and volunteers, educators, family members, and transgender people. All are welcome! Pre-registration is required.
Presenters Francis DeBernardo is Executive Director of New Ways Ministry. He has over 25 years experience educating Catholic groups on questions of sexual orientation, gender identity, pastoral outreach, and social justice. Robert Shine is Associate Director of New Ways Ministry. He is a graduate of The Catholic University of America and recently received a Master’s degree in Theological Studies from the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Sponsored by: New Ways Ministry, a 40-year old national Catholic ministry of justice, education, and reconciliation for LGBT Catholics and the wider church. www.NewWaysMinistry.org Our tri-parish retreat went very well. Thank you to those who attended, to Christ King for their hospitality, and to those who accompanied us in prayer.
We can never underestimate how important it is, as disciples who want to share the love and joy of Christ, to be aware of those who join us for our celebration and be welcoming. I share a recent email that we received through the web page: It was so nice to be greeted even though I was a stranger to your parish on Sunday. Lovely liturgy and a pertinent topic to me. Very friendly congregation. Hope to see you again in the future. Our diocesan paper, the Catholic Herald, has been redesigned and most of its content is about our diocese and its communities. Please consider subscribing to it. We are getting near the end of the 2017 Catholic Stewardship Appeal. Our community is still less than halfway to our goal. If you have not yet contributed, please consider doing so. The appeal supports services that are crucial for our parish community. God can use everyone – even the most unlikely – to bring about His Kingdom. Everyone!!!! Don’t believe me? Look at the first reading from Isaiah: Cyrus was the King of Persia, who had just conquered the Babylonians, and he sends the exiled Jews back to Jerusalem and makes sure they have the resources to rebuild the Temple. He is even said to be “anointed” by the Lord, that is, chosen in a special way. God has “called him by name” and “grasps his hand.” The Israelites never would have believed that this could have happened! A pagan king? Who do we believe is so far gone that God cannot use them? Speak through them? Whom do we dismiss? God speaks to us in the most astonishing ways and through some of the most unlikely people. Let us be careful not to dismiss people too easily. The more quiet time we spend with God in reflection, the more we will recognize His voice, from wherever it may come. -- Paul James Portland, SDS The ARISE (Association for Religious Instruction, Special Education) program has started with an enrollment of 28 students and 21 catechists!
We have a waiting list of seven boys with special needs that are in need of 1:1 catechists. The students will be working on their Reconciliation and First Communion. The classes are held on Monday evenings from 6:30-7:30pm at St. Gregory the Great School (60th and Oklahoma). The first half hour is the 1:1 lessons in the classroom and the second half hour is the Gathering Prayer Service in the church. Orientation and materials are provided. This is a wonderful opportunity for YOU to make a difference in a child’s life! For more information, please contact Tom and Sue Klawien at ariseprogram@gmail.com or 414-614-7071. Check out our website www.stgregsmil.org/ARISE for more information and online application. November is National Family Caregiver Month. Health Ministry invites family caregivers to a special evening by a witty, insightful, thought-provoking and delightful presenter, Lynda Markut, Education and Family Support Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association of SE Wisconsin.
This presentation helps caregivers (not just those caring for someone with dementia) understand what makes caring hard work, what caregiving can do to us as well as what it does for us. Information is offered on stress to help caregivers acknowledge the stress of caring. Through stories and personal examples, caregivers will start to identify if they are caring too much, losing sight of themselves, and are only focusing on a disease process as opposed to focusing on living. This session helps participants gain perspective to take steps to care for themselves as they care for their family member. Lynda will not be doing a presentation on dementia, but will include information on why caring for someone with dementia is more challenging than caring for someone with other chronic conditions. Join us on Monday, November 13th, 5:30 – 7:30 PM, in the rectory living room. To celebrate you, the family caregiver, and to give you a break, a light supper will be served. The session is open and free of charge. Please RSVP by calling the parish office by Thursday, November 9th: 414-453-3875. *Parking: Street parking or east church parking lot, Enter building off Wauwatosa Ave. and follow the signs. Do you feel alone?
Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue … or have you just stopped talking to each other? Does talking about it only make it worse? Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-VI with a long I) helps couples through difficult times in their relationships. For confidential information or to register for the program beginning with a weekend retreat in the Milwaukee area January 12 through 14, 2018, please call (414) 502-7685, email: lakeshore@retrouvaille.org or visit our website at http://www.HelpOurMarriage.com Congratulations to Br. Silas Henderson SDS who professed his first vows as a Salvatorian on October 11 here at St. Pius. We thank you for sharing your gifts with our community and we accompany you in prayer as you live out your commitment.
Two reminders: our sister parish collection will close this week; if you haven’t yet contributed, please do so ASAP. And I invite you to sign up for the four weekly sessions on Exploring the Mass with Br. Silas which begin on October 26. In our first reading from Isaiah, we hear all-inclusive words five times (all people, all people, all nations, every face, whole earth). In the short second reading from Philippians, all-inclusive words appear four times (every circumstance, all things, all things, fully supply). In the Gospel, the servants go out to the highways and byways to invite ALL to the wedding banquet (after the original invitees blew off the king and his invitation). There is no doubt that the scriptures are telling us that ALL are redeemed by Jesus and invited to the Kingdom. But it is not a “get out of jail free” card for everyone. There is a catch: we need to have on our wedding gown. When we hear the Gospel, it sounds odd: if the guests were invited in from the highways and byways, how could they have a wedding garment? But the reality is that wedding garments were handed out at the door to those who did not have one, so the guest who was not wearing one had no excuse: he chose not to wear it. The point for us is this: we have been invited to the heavenly banquet, but we need to cooperate. We are given the Gospels, the Community, the Sacraments, etc., to help us know how to live. If our lives are clothed in the proper apparel of faith, hope, love, forgiveness, tolerance and all the virtues of the Christian life, we will fit in perfectly at the wedding feast, for we will be properly dressed. Let us support each other with example and prayer, as we strive to grow in our ability to live Gospel values. -- Paul James Portland, SDS On Thursday, September 21, 2017 Wauwatosa Catholic School students, teachers and staff celebrated the International Day of Peace with many other IB Schools around the country and world.
The students participated in peace-themed crafts and read books on the subject as well. Thank you to all who helped put on our Ministry Fair and to all who committed themselves to serve our community and/or the broader community. May God bless you for your generosity.
There is still time to contribute to the collection for our sister parish, which is lagging behind other years. Please use the envelopes in the pews or mark any envelope “sister parish” and put it in the regular collection or get it to the parish office. Thank you for helping our sister parish with materials to build catechetical centers in their outlying villages. This week you will be receiving a mailing from the archdiocese for the combined collection “Church in Mission.” This collection supports the following worthwhile causes: Catholic Home Missions, Catholic Relief Services, the Church is Central and Eastern Europe, and the Peter’s Pence for the Pope’s charitable works of mercy. Please be as generous as you can. There are extra envelopes in the back of church, if you do not get one in the mail. Please see my letter in our newsletter, The Invitation, for a list of upcoming events here at Pius. Our first reading and the Gospel this weekend sound very harsh. The theme is the vineyard of the Lord: in the first reading, Isaiah explains how a vineyard (the chosen people) which does not bear fruit will be abandoned and destroyed; in the Gospel the laborers who kill the landowner’s son are put to death and the vineyard given to others (not so veiled reference to the Jewish leaders who put Jesus to death). It makes God sound very harsh, doesn’t it? But Jesus over and over again tells us how merciful God is to those who are open to His mercy. To those who are open to His mercy! In these scripture passages, the people were not open to God’s mercy. All of us fall short, none of us can be perfect and perfection is not what God expects of us. He expects us to know that we need his mercy and to be open to receiving it. And when we are, we in turn become more merciful to others, moving ourselves a little closer to the Perfection that is God. One of my favorite images from scripture comes from Micah 7:19: You [God] will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins. And then he puts a “No fishing” sign there, as a commentator once said. That is God’s mercy! Let us thank God for His mercy and ask for the grace ever more to be open to receiving it and passing it on to others. -- Paul James Portland, SDS In keeping with our efforts to become aware of and reduce consumption in our parish, we will be promoting the use of mugs for fellowship coffee instead of any disposable product. We will have some mugs available, but feel free to bring one from home. You might even consider donating it to the cause of waste-free fellowship coffee - leave it for use by you or someone else for weeks to come.
Please be patient as we try to create a system that's easy, efficient, and environmentally friendly! We are family and families help each other to become the Best Version of their self, with God’s help. Parents are you interested in spending time in the Church while your teen is in class? Would you like to browse through a book or listen to a faith formation CD? We have the time, space and resources…Do you have the interest? Would you like a chance to slow down and Be Still?
October 15th – Mass with Class Mass at St. Pius X - 6 PM Fr. Peter Drenzek Class 7 – 8:30 PM On Deck: Mass with Class dates: October 29 and November 5th. October 16th – Kick Off for Summer Outreach Mission Trip Monday 7 PM – St. Pius X in the Cafeteria Hear more about Catholic Heart Work Camp, and meet Ben Wagner, our co-leader for Mishawaka IN, June 10 – 16, 2018 Questions Call Barb Abler 414-322-0298 or ablerb@archmil.org. Save the Date: Saturday, October 21, 2017
Every dollar that we raise stays right here at Wauwatosa Catholic School to provide tuition assistance. Will you please join us on October 21st? It will you take less than 5 minutes to register for the walk to support Catholic education? We hope you will support our efforts to raise $5,000 for tuition assistance at Wauwatosa Catholic School by making a secure online donation using the support button, supporting a member of our team, or send a check payable to: Wauwatosa Catholic School. Include in the memo line: 2017 Soles for Education Walk. Wauwatosa Catholic School ATTN: School Walk Captain 1500 N. Wauwatosa Ave. Wauwatosa, WI 53213 **All money raised will be used for tuition assistance for Wauwatosa Catholic school. That is right; every dollar raised by our team will stay with our school! Desire to learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd? Join the Vision Team that will meet monthly to discuss the relevant CGS texts, pray for the mustard seed of CGS to grow within our parish communities. For more information, please contact Samantha El-Azem, our Director of Formation for Children at elazems@christkingparish.org.
Next classes: St. Pius Classrooms—9 AM on October 8 & 16 In this 4-part series, Br. Silas Henderson, SDS, will help participants explore the meaning, symbols, and rituals of the Mass. Each class will focus on a different part of the liturgy including the Introductory Rites, Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, and the Concluding Rites and Dismissal. This will be a wonderful opportunity for reflection and conversation about this essential prayer which the Second Vatican Council called the "Source and Summit" of the life of the Church.
Sessions will be on four Thursday evenings at 7:00 beginning on October 26. A $10 materials fee is suggested. To register, please contact sign up in the back of church after Mass or call the parish office (453-3875). I thank those parishioners who attended the Mass, dinner, and concert by Fr. Joseph Rodrigues SDS last weekend as the Society of the Divine Savior celebrated 125 years of presence in the United States. I was proud of all our choir members who participated in the Mass. The Salvatorians founded St. Pius X and members of the Salvatorian Family have shared their talents over the 65 years of our existence. I appreciated the support shown by your presence.
There are three upcoming events that I invite you to attend: first, at 6:30 pm on Monday, September 25, there will be a presentation given by Samantha El-Azem, our Director of Formation for Children, on Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. As I have shared before, we will be gradually moving to this method, which is Montessori inspired. This is an opportunity to understand what is involved in this highly acclaimed method of passing on the Faith to our children. The meeting will be in the North Hall at Christ King. Second, Tuesday evening, September 26, there will be an open house for parishioners at our school, Wauwatosa Catholic, from 6 to 7 pm. This IS our school: I am the one ultimately responsible for it from the perspective of the Archdiocese. We support it with time, talent, and treasure. Just walking the hallways and seeing the displays on the walls will help you understand the wonderful combination of Catholic and International Baccalaureate values that our children are being exposed to. Third, a tri-parish retreat for leaders and parishioners will be held at Christ King Friday evening, October 13, and Saturday, October 14, until mid-afternoon. I am hoping staff and members of all councils, commissions, or committees will attend, as well as many parishioners. More information will be coming but save the dates! Professional yoga instructor and parishioner Mary Snow will offer free yoga classes here at Pius on Monday mornings at 9 am, beginning October 9th. Please watch for more details and plan to take advantage of this opportunity. The annual collection for our sister parish is this weekend. If you missed it, we will wait a couple weeks to close it. Put your donation in an envelope marked “sister parish” and drop it in the regular collection. Please be as generous as possible. Perhaps the series of readings we are going through during this part of Ordinary time can be summarized with these words of Isaiah in our first reading this weekend: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. In our Gospel two weekends ago Jesus said it was the wrong or grieved party that had the responsibility to reach out and start the process of reconciliation. Would we think that way? Or would we think, “That person hurt me; they should say they are sorry and ask for forgiveness”? Which do we have to do to follow Jesus? Last weekend we were told to forgive an innumerable number of times. We cannot hold resentments and grudges and be at peace with God – or ourselves. Would we think that way? Or would we think, “Hurt me once, shame on you. Hurt me twice, shame on me”? Which do we have to do to follow Jesus? Now we have that crazy story about the one working one hour being paid the same as one who worked all day! Jesus is saying that, for justice to reign, each person needs to be able to get their “daily bread” to feed their family. Do we think that way? Or would we think, “That is not fair. The one who worked only an hour should only be paid for an hour, no matter if the family is hungry”? Which do we have to do to follow Jesus? Underlying all this is the tension between our concept of “fairness” and the Gospel values of justice, mercy, and compassion. There is no doubt the world would be better if Gospel values were followed; it is our task to further that ideal by doing our best to live according to the Gospel values of justice, mercy, and compassion. Let us resolve to grow in mercy and compassion, supporting each other in our efforts with prayer. -- Paul James Portland, SDS A retreat for our cluster, including prayer, lecture, small group discussions, food, fellowship, and quiet time for reflection will be held on Friday, October 13, from 5:30 to 9 pm, and Saturday, October 14, from 8 am until 3:30 pm. It will include dinner and social on Friday, as well as breakfast and lunch on Saturday.
The theme is Dare to be Holy: discipleship that makes a difference and will be facilitated by Rich Harter, M.T.S. All parishioners are encouraged to attend; staff, council and committee members, formation leaders, and liturgical ministers are asked to attend. The retreat will be held at the North Hall of Christ King (park and enter off of 91st Street). A free will offering will be accepted to help defray the costs. Please preregister by Saturday, October 7, at christkingparish.org or by calling 414-258-2604 during office hours. Please pray to the Holy Spirit to bless us as we reflect on being disciples. Hope to see you there! -- Paul James Portland, SDS |